


Fish and Chips

by Sapphy, SapphyWatchesYouSleep (Sapphy)



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, Hope, True Love, gratitude
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-22
Updated: 2013-03-22
Packaged: 2017-12-06 03:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphy/pseuds/Sapphy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphy/pseuds/SapphyWatchesYouSleep
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I grew up on the stories of you, Rose. The amazing things you did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fish and Chips

**Author's Note:**

> I've been rewatching Season 1 of New Who, and thinking about the sort of man the Doctor would have become if he hadn't found Rose. This was the result.

Rose is digging in her bag, swearing under her breath because how, _how_ , has she managed to come out without her purse, _again_ , when a voice behind her says, “I’ll get that.”

She turns to see a woman she doesn’t know, with a warm slightly seductive smile and a wild mop of blonde curls.

“Nah, you’re alright,” Rose says, because she’s sure her purse is in her bag somewhere, and this woman looks like she might be expecting a little more than just a thank you in exchange. She’s looking at Rose… well, like Mickey does.

“Honestly, I want to. Nothing funny, I promise.” The woman’s smile softens, becomes more friendly, less seductive, and Rose thinks, well, why the fuck not? It’s not like she can’t defend herself if the woman tries anything.

So she smiles, and tries to say thank you properly without sounding _too_ grateful.

When she picks up the bag of chips, the woman follows her.

“Sorry, but, do I know you?” Rose asks. The woman is starting to make her uncomfortable.

“No,” the woman says, still smiling. “Call me Mel. But I know who you are of course. Rose Tyler.”

“Yeah? And how do you know that exactly?”

“Oh Rose, don’t you know? You’re famous!”

Rose’s first thought is ‘oh shit, Sharleen put those photos from her 18th online.’ But then, she reasons, she’d have heard about it before now if she had. But then why’s some woman she’s never met before buying her chips?

“Oh yeah? What’m I famous for then?”

“Oh, you’re not famous _now_ ,” the woman says, calm like this is completely reasonable. “But you will be. You’re going to save so many lives, Rose Tyler.”

“What me? I work in a shop. How’m I supposed to save lives?”

“You’ll see. Left here?”

“Uh, yeah. But look, how do you know all this? I mean, you said I’m _going to_ save lives. How d’you know that, if it hasn’t happened yet?”

“Oh, I’m good a knowing things that haven’t happened yet. You could sort of call it my job. And I grew up on the stories of you, Rose. About the amazing things you did, will do.”

This woman’s completely mental, but she seems fairly harmless, and she did pay for Rose’s supper, so Rose just smiles. “So what, you thought you’d come and see if I lived up to the stories, yeah?”

“Oh no. No, I knew you’d do that. No, I came to say thank you.”

“Thank you? You’re the one that brought me dinner.”

“Oh don’t worry about that. It wasn’t my credit card anyway.

“In a few months’ time, Rose Tyler, you’re going to meet a man. The most infuriating, wonderful man in the multiverse. One day, years and years from now, I’ll love him. But before that, you will.”

The woman stops, puts down the bag on the pavement beside them. Then she takes both of Rose’s hands in hers, and looks deep into her eyes. “You will be there for him. You will look after him, love him, when he needs it most. Without you… without you, there will be no Doctor. There will be only the Oncoming Storm, and the Universe would be a poorer, darker place.”

The strange woman leans forward, presses a quick kiss to Rose’s cheek. “You will save the Universe, Rose Tyler.”

And then she’s gone, leaving Rose shocked and confused and holding a bag of chips.

Rose goes home, eats her chips, chats with her mum about how odd some people are. And she forgets about the woman who kissed her, and told her she would love an amazing man. It’s only years, centuries later, and light years away, with the heart of time itself searing its way into her mind, that she remembers. And she thinks yes, whoever that woman was, whatever part of the doctor’s future she came from, Rose can see, now, all the Doctor’s possible lives, and she knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she, Rose Tyler from a housing estate in London, she has saved the Universe.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, find me on tumblr at gluttonforpunsihment (recs) or lentilswitheverything (side blog)


End file.
